Federer said he had planned the "play the ball, not the opponent" approach with coaches Ivan Ljubicic and Severin Luthi to try to end a run of four consecutive grand slam final losses against the Spanish left-hander who had beaten him 23 times in the pair's 34 previous matches.

"I didn't want to go down just making shots, seeing forehands rain down on me from Rafa. I think it was the right decision at the right time," said the 35-year-old Swiss. "I had opportunities early on in the fifth, as well, to get back on even terms. I could have been left disappointed there and accepted that fact. I kept on fighting.

"I kept on believing - like I did all match-long today - that there was a possibility I could win this match. I think that's what made me play my best tennis at the very end the match, which was actually surprising to me. I went through a little bit of a lull in the fourth and the beginning of the fifth set."

His record-extending 18th major title, which came four-and-a-half years after No.17, was not about the numbers, but the comeback: from a six-month injury break and also, somehow, from 1-3 down in the fifth set. For Federer, it was about the circumstances, too: his age, and the opponent who has thwarted so many happy endings before.

"We go furthest back, you know," said Federer, who named Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt among his other great rivals, while apologising to anyone he had left out. "But Rafa definitely has been very particular in my career. I think he made me a better player.

"Him and a couple more players have done the most to do that to me because (of) the way his game stacks up with me. It's a tricky one. I've said that openly. It remains for me the ultimate challenge to play against him. So it's definitely very special ... and very sweet because I haven't beaten him in a grand slam final for a long, long time now. Last time I guess was 2007 at Wimbledon in a five-setter. Now I was able to do it again.

"We're both on a comeback. Like I said on the court, it would have been nice for both of us to win, but there are no draws in tennis. It's brutal sometimes.

"He should be happy. I would have been happy again (just) to be in the finals, like I said on the court. I think this one will take more time to sink in. When I go back to Switzerland, I'll think, 'wow'. The magnitude of this match is going to feel different. I can't compare this one to any other one except for maybe the French Open in '09. I waited for the French Open, I tried, I fought. I tried again and failed. Eventually I made it. This feels similar, yeah."

Despite his seven Wimbledon titles, Federer prides himself on his consistency at the Australian Open, where he has reached at least the last four 13 times in 14 years. The Aussie connection extends to two of his former coaches, the late Peter Carter and Tony Roche, and a quite extraordinary level of popularity on these shores.

"It all started for me here," he said. "I played the (qualifiers) here in '99, the juniors in '98. Won my first match maybe against Michael Chang here back in 2000. I go way back. Always loved coming here. When you win down here, the journey home is not a problem. When you lose, it's just brutal. That's why I feel very fortunate tonight."

Having enjoyed a long and successful relationship with Luthi, the Swiss Davis Cup captain, it was Federer's first major win with Lljubicic as part of a close and committed team that prepared him for what was dubbed 'Fedal XXXV'.

"It was his first grand slam final as a player or as a coach. Obviously he was nervous all day. I tried to calm him down," smiled Federer of Ljubicic. "The same thing with my physio, too. I think I can sense that this is not something that he's seen so many times. Where Severin, he was totally relaxed about it.

"It's beautiful for all of us. We spent a lot of time talking about am I going to get back to 100 per cent and, if I did, what would it require to win a grand slam. Now we made it. We're going to be partying like rock stars tonight."

And returning next January is the plan, despite post-match comments about this possibly being a last Melbourne Park hurrah - albeit a glorious one. "This is all about knowing that I have only so much tennis left in me. If I do get injured, you know, maybe if I miss next year ... who knows what happens," Federer said.

"You never know when your next grand slam is going to be, if ever. You never know if you're going to have an opportunity at this stage ... I felt I could thank so many people at once. It's a live audience. It's a moment for me to be appreciative of them.

"Look, I've had a tough year last year. Three five-setters [here] are not going to help. I just meant it the way I meant it. There wasn't something planned behind it, that this is my last Australian Open. I hope can I come back, of course. That's my hope right now."